Taiwan

Introduction

Taiwan tī´wän´ [key], Portuguese Formosa, officially Republic of China, island nation (2005 est. pop. 22,894,000), 13,885 sq mi (35,961 sq km), in the Pacific Ocean, separated from the mainland of S China by the 100-mi-wide (161-km) Taiwan Strait. Together with many nearby islets, including the Pescadores and the island groups of Quemoy and Matsu , it forms the seat of the Republic of China. The provisional capital is Taipei ; Nanjing, on mainland China, is regarded as the official capital of the republic.